Heart of Steel
by A Few Good Authors
Summary: Shadow, the son of a mob boss, has fallen in love with Amy Rose, but Amy is hiding something from him that could destroy their relationship forever. Meanwhile there are mysterious disappearances happening in Knothole that has everybody scratching their heads.
1. Chapter 1

Against the Odds

_My name is Shadow the Hedgehog. _

Red and white hover shoes left burn marks on the track field. The wind pushed against his red streaked quills. He had to be running for at least a couple of hours. He was tired but he knew he couldn't give up. He just couldn't.

_He wanted me to be the perfect son. _

Shadow's father, Black Doom, was sat on a nearby bench as he watched his son dash in circles. His bright emerald eyes stayed focused on Shadow like a hawk. He was a hedgehog that had the same dark complexion as his son. His menacing green eyes were enough to send any Mobian running, and his long quills draped his shoulders.

His son ran faster than the speed of light, but Doom had an unpleasant look on his face. His son could outrun anybody. He was the fastest runner in his track team. He had highest honors at Mobius High School, and he was also very popular. Even all of those things couldn't impress Doom. He wanted more.

The poor black and red hedgehog could feel his legs getting weak. His eyes glanced over at his father. _When can he stop running?_ He was so exhausted. He saw the same things over and over as he ran in circles, and it drove him mad. First he saw a trashcan, then a streetlight, then Doom. Trashcan, streetlight, Doom. Trashcan streetlight, D-…

Shadow tripped.

His face almost met with the ground, but he used his hands and knees to break his fall. The young hedgehog gritted his teeth, but it wasn't from the pain of his skin rubbing against the gravel…

_He could never be the perfect son._

Doom stood up from the bench and slowly walked over to his son. His father hasn't said anything yet, but Shadow could read his eyes. His brilliant olive eyes flared.

_Disappointment…_

As Doom spoke his deep voice rang through Shadow's ears. "You tripped? I can't believe it…"

The track runner slowly got up and dusted himself off.

"How do you expect to win the Track Tournament in a couple of months if you keep tripping over invisible rocks!"

His son was confused. _Invisible rocks? The hell is he talking about…_

Doom noticed his bewildered expression. "Exactly what I'm talking about!" He pointed to the track. "There are no rocks, no dirt, no nothing! What could you possibly be tripping on?"

Shadow trained for this event for over a month. He felt like he was ready, but he knew his dad always doubted him. "Doom, I'm exhausted. It would be best if we finish this tomorrow."

At first his father's face was blank, but he soon scowled in disgust. He acted as if the young hedgehog had just cursed at him.

"Fine."

The tired athlete sighed in relief. _Finally…a break_.

As Doom walked away, Shadow's ears twitched. He could've sworn he heard his father mumble something under his breath. It sounded like…

_Lazy…_

The young athlete felt a burning sensation and he looked down at his hands. That fall did a number on his palms, and his gloves had torn. His girlfriend, Rouge the Bat, just bought him those gloves.

He turned in the opposite direction and headed home. The black hedgehog looked terrible. His hands and knees were burned. His fur was sweaty, and he got dirt on his body from training all day. He closed his eyes as he imagined water running down his body. A shower would feel like the greatest thing in the world right now.

Shadow felt relieved when he made it home. He lived in the rich side of Knothole called Armdale. Armdale was the place where all the wealthy Mobians in Knothole lived. The smallest house you'll ever see in that neighborhood would be the size of a luxurious beach house.

He opened the door and walked in like a zombie. He landed on the white couch in the living room, and plunged his face into a pillow. Every muscle in his body ached.

_God, I'm so tired._

Footsteps could be heard and someone came into the living room. Shadow didn't have to lift his face. He already knew who that was; it was the housemaid, Tikal. A beautiful, young echidna who couldn't really speak much English, but she was a nice lady. She was done for the day and was wiping her hands on her apron. She saw Shadow and smiled.

"Shadow, hello."

He lifted his hand and gave a very weak wave with his face still on the pillow. Tikal laughed; she could see how tired he was.

"You want shower?"

It almost became a routine ever since Shadow had been training for the competition. He would come home tired as hell, and Tikal would run a hot shower for him.

His voice was muffled. "Yes please."

She headed to the upstairs bathroom. The young hedgehog felt something under his stomach he reached and pulled out a remote. The remote was for the huge plasma screen television that was across the room. He shrugged and turned the TV on; he didn't really have anything else to do.

Knothole news was on. A red cat was on the television screen and Shadow had to admit…she was pretty hot.

The red cat looked away from the camera. _"Are we on?"_ She then nodded her head and held a microphone to her lips. _"This is Samantha Keys reporting for Knothole News tonight. Another Mobian went missing today."_

Shadow couldn't believe. That had to be the third mobian that disappeared.

"_This time it was Sally Acorn; the daughter of Maximillian Acorn. The billionaire that owns many restaurants and hotels in Knothole. If anyone has any information on her whereabouts, please contact the Knothole Police Departm-."_

He turned the TV off. It just didn't make any sense. Teenagers with wealthy parents are vanishing without a trace and there hasn't been any ransom notes, no threats, nothing.

His train of thought was interrupted when Tikal came into the room with her coat on and her bag on her shoulder. It was time for her to leave. "Shower ready. See you tomorrow."

He winked at her. "See you tomorrow, beautiful."

Tikal rushed past him and headed for the door. Nothing could escape those eyes of his. He saw how red the maid's face got when he talked to her. When the door closed behind her he laughed. He just loved messing with her.

He got up from the couch and headed upstairs to his room. He walked into his room and saw how hard Tikal worked to make everything clean. His clothes were folded neatly, and his books were stacked on the bookshelf _in alphabetical order_. His bed was made and there wasn't a single speck of dust. Too bad that in a couple of hours a tornado will hit his room and everything will just end up back on the floor. Shadow couldn't help it; he's just a very messy guy.

He spotted his suit that he always wore to parties laying flat on his bed. He arched his eyebrow. _Why did Tikal lay that out for him?_

He walked into his bathroom and heard the water in the shower running. He took off his clothes and pulled back the curtain, and all this steam went past his feet. He got inside and he could feel the water washing away all the dirt and sweat. It felt good to him. Shadow then began to wonder about those missing mobians he keeps hearing on TV. Could it be Doom that's kidnapping everybody? He is part of the mob and mobs have kidnapped before.

He didn't know what his father did for a living…exactly. All he knows is that his father is the leader of the biggest Mobian Mafia group in town.

Shadow shook his head._ Abduction isn't his style._

He smirked. The shower sure felt good. His maid was good at her job, and she was very pretty too. He can imagine it now; Tikal would come back because she wanted to see him.

_The shower curtain opened and there stood Tikal…completely naked. He gazed at her body she was a perfect hourglass. Her breasts were small but round and she had a small waist and curvaceous hips. His crimson eyes looked at her face. Her beautiful aquamarine eyes stared at the black hedgehog, and her long eyelashes fluttered as she looked at him innocently. _

_The absolute silence was killing Shadow. "You want to join me?"_

_The housemaid didn't say a word she went in the shower and closed her eyes as she felt the warm water trickling down her small body. She opened her eyes and looked at Shadow. "Tired…I clean no break."_

_He laughed. He thought her broken English was a little sexy. "You know I'm tired too, but I know a way we can both relax."_

_He placed his strong hands on her petite waist and she gasped. Her hair was wet, water was coming down her breasts, and her whole body was soaked. The hedgehog smiled._

_He was going to enjoy this. _

_He leaned in for a kiss. She took him by surprise, because she was a wonderful kisser. Their tongues danced with each other, and the black hedgehog couldn't get enough. Tikal tasted so good. She tasted like…. He couldn't place his finger on it._

_Cinnamon perhaps? _

_Tikal wasn't stiff anymore and she allowed Shadow to pull her in closer. She moaned and tilted her head back while he kissed her neck. She was finally getting into it. The house servant couldn't figure out what was going on, the room was spinning. She heard the water running and Shadow's groans as he covered her whole body in kisses. _

_She couldn't believe she was doing this. Doom hired her to clean the house, not have sex with his son. This wasn't part of the job description! _

"_So sexy…." He whispered in her ear in the most seductive tone imaginable. His ebony hands were roaming her body. Tikal's body shivered. She was losing it!_

_Shadow had her body pinned to the shower wall. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his hips. He asked, "Are you ready?"_

_The echidna didn't say anything. All she did was look at him. The hedgehog didn't know if she was ready, but he sure was and that was good enough for him. He pressed his hips against hers and she gasped. He penetrated her. As Shadow got in deeper and deeper his grin grew wider and wider. _

_The warm water in the shower suddenly got super hot and it stung Shadow's back. He arched his back in pain. "Aaaah! Fuck!"_

He quickly turned around and turned the water off. Then the black hedgehog finally fell back into reality. Tikal wasn't in the shower with him, and he wasn't getting any. The whole entire time he was just standing in the shower making weird faces. He gave a disappointed sigh as he pulled the curtains aside and stepped out the shower.

There he goes having those perverted daydreams again. It's not like he was in love with Tikal or anything, he just thinks it would be nice to have sex with her.

Shadow left his bathroom and he saw his girlfriend standing in his doorway. Rouge had her hands on her hips and she was about to say something, but her face turned into a deep shade of red. Her boyfriend was standing before her with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Water was dripping down his chest. Dripping down his six pack.

All those years on the track team was really paying off.

Rouge smiled. "Whoops! Sorry." She turned around to give him privacy. "I won't look."

"What are you doing here?"

She spoke to the wall. "Well if you must know I was heading up here earlier, but I heard you taking a shower so I went back downstairs and waited for you. Then outta nowhere you screamed bloody murder so I came running back up here. Better question is why the hell were you screaming?"

"The water in the shower got hot."

He couldn't see her face, but he could tell the female bat was smiling. "Aww Shaddie afraid of a little water?" She laughed.

Shadow then noticed what his girlfriend was wearing. Rouge had on a short black dress and black heels. Tikal had nice curves, but Rouge was voluptuous.

"You're all dressed up. What's the occasion?"

"Knuckles party is today." She sounded irritated. "You know that party I kept telling you about for the past week."

The track runner blinked. He was in trouble now. "Of course." He pointed to his suit on the bed. "That's why I told Tikal to clean my suit for me…because I'm going out with my sweetheart Rouge." It was all coming back to him now.

She snapped. "Shut up and get dressed! I can't believe you forgot!"

Shadow put his suit on and Rouge turned around. He asked, "Wait a minute. Did you just say we're going to a party at Knuckles' house?"

She nodded. "That's right."

He frowned. No wonder he forgot all about it. Shadow couldn't stand that red echidna. Knuckles parents make the most out of everybody else's parents, and the echidna loved to brag about it. He had one of the biggest mansions in Armdale and his parents spoiled him rotten. Whenever Shadow got near him he felt the echidna looked down at him because his father was a mobster and made less money than his parents.

Rouge read his mind. "Why don't you guys like each other?"

Her lover didn't respond to her question, instead he muttered obscenities about the echidna.

She rolled her eyes. "It's a shame that the new gloves I bought for you couldn't even last a week." She walked over to his desk and picked up the torn gloves.

He sighed. "I was practicing for the tournament coming up and I fell, sorry."

His girlfriend dropped the gloves back on the desk, astonished. "Weren't you practicing for that yesterday?"

"Yes."

"And the day before that?"

"Yes."

"…And the day before that?"

"…Yes."

"Wow your dad is really pushing you to the edge." She smiled. "Luckily you can go to the party with me and relax."

Shadow grimaced. He doesn't know how he will be able to relax with Knuckles around.

Rouge sat on his desk. "I remember when I was forced to be the 'perfect child'. It was my mother. Up until I was nine she used to cover my face with makeup, do my hair in the most ridiculous styles, and make me wear hideous dresses. For the Little Miss Knothole Pageant." She shuddered. "It was dreadful. Thank God that chapter in my life is over."

When Rouge talked about her mother, it reminded Shadow of his. His mother was a beautiful red hedgehog named Cassandra. She was a wonderful mother and a good wife. Back then Doom was a completely different hedgehog. He was more care free and charismatic. He wasn't so over competitive.

B_ack in the good old days. _

Then one day Cassandra was found dead while walking home from grocery shopping. A bullet to the head. No witnesses. Shadow came home from school and his father was sitting in the living room staring at the floor. It almost seemed like Doom wanted to cry but he was fighting back his tears. His son never seen him so vulnerable it almost scared him.

Ever since Cassandra's death Doom's attitude on life changed. He believed the only reason she died was because he was careless and stupid. After that he made sure his son wouldn't make the same mistake he did. That's when he forced Shadow to sign up for track and other extracurricular activities. He needed his son to be number one in everything. He was a fish trapped in a shark tank. He needed to show those alpha males that just because he was a gangster who found his way to the top don't mean can't he succeed in life. He showed that through Shadow's accomplishments.

The black hedgehog missed his mom. He missed her so much…

Rouge stopped talking and looked at her boyfriend. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah."

"You look so sad."

"It's nothing. We should head over to that get-together now."

They were headed to the party but Rouge decided that they should have some 'alone time', and instead they went to her house. Shadow wished that the 'alone time' could've lasted longer, but his girlfriend only did it to kill some time before they went to Knuckles' house.

"We don't want to go there super early. Who does that?" She asked as she was putting her dress back on.

The couple finally made it to Knuckles' house and a tall, muscular crocodile was standing in front of the doorway. Shadow frowned. That asshole hired a bodyguard.

Rouge smiled at the crocodile. "Hello Vector."

"Rouge, you look beautiful this evening."

She smiled. "Thank you."

Vector stepped aside and Rouge walked in. Shadow nodded at Vector, but suddenly the track runner walked into him and stumbled. Jesus, that dude was built like a brick wall.

"Sorry I can't let you in."

"What?"

"Boss's orders. You can't come in."

The black hedgehog groaned in annoyance. He hasn't even seen Knuckles yet and the bullshit already started.

"Hey Vector!" Knuckles appeared behind the stoic crocodile and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Everything going good?"

The party host then saw Shadow and smiled. "Shadow what are you doing out here? The party's inside." He laughed.

Vector looked confused. "But boss you told me that he wasn't allowed in."

"I was only joking Vec. He's welcome here. What type of party would it be without Shadow?"

_That damn echidna was lying through his teeth. _

The bodyguard stepped aside and he walked in. Shadow's place was pretty big, but Knuckles' house was enormous. The whole party took place in his living room. The living room walls were painted a deep shade of red. In Knothole the color red resembled wealth. Tall windows were covered with white silk curtains, and they were paintings of echidnas dressed in vintage clothing. It was a wonder how the chandelier could hang from the ceiling, because it was so massive.

There was a table in the center of the room that contained food and refreshments. The food was served on silverware, which glistened under the artificial light of the chandelier. Unfortunately this was the only table in the room. There were a couple of chairs for guests to sit on, but the poor partygoers had to hold their food in their hands the entire time they're eating.

Upbeat party music was being played. The young Mobians stomped their dress shoes against the oak wood floor, as they moved in rhythm.

"Yeah my parents are out of town." Knuckles was sitting on a couch surrounded by women. He tried his best to speak over the music. "They're celebrating their anniversary, and I have the house to myself all this week. Isn't that great!"

"What? I don't understand!" One of the females said. The music was just too loud. The echidna's words weren't going anywhere.

The girls leaned in closer so they could hear well. Knuckles put it in simpler terms. "House all to myself for the week!"

The females were excited. One of the wealthiest bachelors in Armdale was going to have the mansion all to himself for seven days.

Shadow rolled his eyes. _Show off_.

The black hedgehog saw his girlfriend conversing with someone on the other side of the room.

"Hey Shadow."

Knuckles was still sitting down and his women entourage disappeared. A grey hedgehog walked over to Knuckles. He had his quills jelled back and was wearing a butler uniform. He handed a deck of cards to the echidna.

"How about a game of cards?"

"No I'm not really in the mood."

"Come on it'll be fun. I thought you were use to gambling anyway."

_Oh look another mob joke._

The athlete gave out a weak chuckle. "I'm not playing."

Knuckles started to make obnoxious chicken noises. "I think someone's scared." The mobians around him started to laugh.

Unfortunately the echidna's taunting got to him and he decided to take a seat. He snatched the cards from Knuckles and the rich bachelor arched his eyebrow.

Shadow said, "I'll deal."

While the two men decided to play a 'friendly' game of cards, Rouge and her friend, Blaze the Cat, were having a little chat.

Blaze said, "Did you hear about that girl that went missing?"

"Yeah that Sally girl." Rouge shook her head. "What is going on in this town?"

"There are rumors going around about a kidnapper. You really think that girl has been kidnapped?"

The female bat shrugged. "I have no clue. All I want to do is leave this place. Go somewhere nice and quiet. I was hoping that maybe Shadow and I could go away somewhere together, but I don't know… Things between us haven't been going so well lately…"

Her friend gave a concerned look. "Why? What's wrong?"

"There's no spark between us. We had a spark back when we were first dating. I remember one time when we were fighting he did the sweetest thing."

"What did he do?"

"I forgot what we were arguing about, but we said some terrible things to each other. I ran back to my house and slammed my door shut. Then I heard him throwing rocks on my window, so I opened it and told him to buzz off."

The cat laughed. Her friend always had a spunky attitude.

Rouge continued with her story. "It was pouring outside and he was soaked. He looked crazy! But then I…heard the most beautiful voice I've ever heard in my life. I looked out my window, and there was Shadow. He was singing to me in the rain."

"He sang to you," Blaze blurted out.

Rouge knew exactly what her friend was thinking. Shadow was probably the most serious hedgehog she has ever met. How could he do something that made him look so innocent…so lighthearted.

Rouge sighed dreamily. "And before I knew it, he was holding me and we kissed."

"Aww… That's so romantic."

"That's the guy I fell in love with, but it's so different now. Our relationship just feels so boring."

"Rouge, relationships are always the best in the beginning, because it's a new experience it's exciting. But…soon it starts to get stale, but everybody is like that. You can't let a few bumps on the road stop you. I think you guys were made for each other." Rouge smiled. "You should try something different with Shadow. Spice things up a bit."

Rouge was glad Blaze was her friend. Everytime the bat needed advice she was there to help.

"You're right we've been going out for four years. Maybe we just need to change things."

"YOU CHEATED!"

Both of the women turned to see a crowd forming around a table. Shadow and Knuckles were playing cards and the game got intense, and their game of cards attracted bystanders. Rouge and Blaze walked over to see what all the commotion was about.

The ivory bat asked her boyfriend, "Who is screaming back here?"

Knuckles stood up. "I am! Tell your friend to stop cheating!"

Shadow grabbed the rings on the table and pulled it closer to him. "I won fair and square."

"Bullshit! You're a liar. Your whole family is full of liars!"

The black hedgehog jumped from his seat. "What?"

The bat could feel the tension between the two males. She grabbed Shadow's hand. "Come on. Let's just leave."

He wouldn't budge. "No we should stay. Let's hear what Knuckles has to say."

The echidna threw his cards on the table. "All I said was that your family are a bunch of liars. Some creatures actually work hard to get their money."

Knuckles was basically calling him lazy just like Doom did earlier. Shadow knew he wasn't lazy. It was that damn echidna that was the spoiled brat. He always gets what he wants. Every time Shadow wanted something he had to work for it. His father never gave him any free passes.

Rouge still held his hand and turned around. Everybody was staring. Everybody. Even the servants. The poor bat wanted to jump into the darkest hole and never climb back out. _This is so embarrassing!_

"Thanks for inviting us to the party Knuckles." She used all her strength to move Shadow. "But….we…really….have to get….going!" It was no use he wasn't going anywhere.

Knuckles said, "How many bodies did your old man have to drop to get you into Mobius High?"

That one line made everyone freeze. Rouge released her boyfriend's hand. That was it. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Shadow started advancing towards the echidna with his fists clenched. Knuckles actually seemed scared, but luckily his bodyguard was there to save his behind. Vector snarled at the hedgehog while cracking his knuckles.

Shadow wasn't intimidated. "You want some too tough guy?"

Before the crocodile could respond. Shadow was pulled aside by his lover. "Can we go," Rouge hissed.

The track star said nothing else he took her hand and they left the party.

Shadow decided to take Rouge home for the night. It was the quietest walk the black hedgehog has ever been on. His partner didn't say a single word to him. She wouldn't even look at him. She looked straight ahead and was completely silent. He couldn't take the silent treatment it killed him and Rouge knew it.

Every now and then he would try to strike up a conversation, but Rouge just kept giving him dull answers. It was obvious why the ivory bat was so pissed. Her and Shadow almost never see each other anymore because he's always practicing for that track tournament. They finally get to have some time for themselves and he blew it.

They finally reached Rouge's house and she turned to look at him.

"You need to learn to swallow your pride. I can't believe you let Knuckles get to you like that."

"I couldn't just let him talk to me that way."

"You would've been the bigger man if you walked away."

"That would've made me look like a coward."

His girlfriend sighed. "What happened to you?"

Shadow stiffened. He seemed so surprise. "What do you mean?"

Rouge wouldn't even look at him. She stared at the ground. The black hedgehog blinked. He never saw her behave in such a way. He lifted her chin up and her eyes gazed into his. Then her eyes softened, as if she just realized something.

She finally spoke up, "Nothing…I mean. Good night."

Rouge gave him a quick peck on the lips and headed inside.

Shadow didn't leave just yet. He sat on her porch steps and looked at Rouge's window. Soon her light turned on and he could see her silhouette. She was moving, but he couldn't tell what she was doing. Then a terrible image popped into his head.

_What if she was crying? _

_Her eye shadow would end up on her hands from her rubbing her eyes. Mascara would be dripping down her face, because of the tears. She would try to pull her dress over her head, but it just wouldn't come off. _

He got up from the porch steps. He had to make it up to her. The black hedgehog then tugged at his sleeve and a few playing cards fell onto his hand. He threw the cards away at a trash bin as he was headed home.

Well what do you know? Knuckles was right.

He did cheat.

_I think the beginning of the story is pretty weak, but after a week of revising it was the best I could come up with. Amy is making her appearance in the next chapter! Yayy! Lol. _


	2. Chapter 2

The poor citizens of Knothole lived in east side of the city called the Red District. This area of the city is considered an eyesore. Unlike Armdale, which had beautiful architecture and a bright, blue sky, the district's tall factory buildings blocked the horizon and emitted pollution into the air. The streets were littered with trash and homeless Mobians were sleeping in every back alley. Some of the buildings were rundown and had shattered windows. Armdale is decorated in murals; the Red District is decorated in graffiti.

Red District wasn't considered a safe place. There was very little law and order, and gangs controlled everything. In Armdale the worst crimes imaginable are teenage hoodlums taking an old lady's purse. In the District there are plenty of robberies and killings. Before the disappearances in Armdale, it was considered rare to see a fully uniformed officer. Now there are officers roaming the streets trying to find out why Mobians are disappearing.

A young girl named Amy Rose was sitting by her windowsill and watching the outside world as if it were a movie. The citizens were actors and she was trying to figure out which character they were playing. At an apartment across the street from her a fox rushed out the front door. His face was a deep shade of crimson, and he was gritting his teeth.

Amy took a second look at him. She didn't know who this guy was supposed to be, but it was obvious that he was pissed.

Then a female fox rushed to the door with a baby in her arms sucking a pacifier.

The female fox shouted, "Don't come back! After all I did for you! You still cheat on me anyway!"

The man stopped walking and turned around. "I didn't cheat! You just wanna blame for something. You blame me for everything! Bye Stacy, I'm gone!"

The baby started to cry. Amy looked at the woman; it looked as if she was going to cry but she was trying her hardest to hold back her tears. She slammed the door behind her. The male fox kept walking.

Amy was able to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Those two Mobians were a young couple and their relationship was on the rocks. The pink hedgehog laughed. She thought young love was so stupid…so pointless.

She watched the fox walk away. Amy felt sorry for that girl, because that terrible boyfriend of hers left her and her child to fend for themselves.

She made an oath. _I swear I will never let myself get fooled by a man. _

She heard her bedroom door open and turned around to see her best friend Cream. Amy noticed that Cream had on her maid uniform. It wasn't anything spectacular. The rabbit just had on a grey knee high dress with an apron over it. Her uniform was covered in stains from years of hard work, and those stains were too stubborn to be washed off.

The pink hedgehog sighed in annoyance. _It was time to go to work_.

Cream said, "Come on! We're gonna miss the bus again!"

Amy and Cream rushed out of the house. They missed the bus last time and it was a disaster. The maids who work at Armdale have to clean the house before the residents come back home. Last time the two girls failed to do that and their paycheck was lowered. They couldn't risk something like that to happen again, because they lived on a fixed income.

Cream's mother, Vanilla, works at a textile factory and she only brings enough home to pay the bills and the rent. The two girls bring enough home to pay for groceries and other utilities they might need. The girls didn't bring back their usual pay and they had to cut back on food for two weeks.

Amy legs felt sore and she started to slow down. Cream, on the other hand, ran like an Olympic champ. Amy was amazed. _Wow, she can run!_

But the rabbit's momentum was interrupted when she crashed into somebody. Cream got up, apologized, and started to run again.

Fortunately, the girls made it in time. They entered the city bus and paid their fare. Cream and Amy sat at the back of the bus, and Amy sat by the window. She always sat by the window. Amy liked to look out the window, because it helped make the time go by faster. The bus trip was long and boring.

She then spotted two police officers sitting in a coffee shop and she grimaced. "What is it with all these cops?"

Cream looked at her. "They said there's a kidnapper."

Amy's eyes widened. "Someone got kidnapped here?"

"No Armdale."

"So why are they coming here?" She rolled her eyes. "Lemme guess…the kidnapper has to be here, because ALL the evil Mobians are born here. Why can't there be anybody evil in Armdale? The Echidnas act mean. We clean their house all day and they never give us a lunchbreak. They have so much food!"

Cream scolded, "Amy stop taking food!"

"All that food they have? It's not like they are gonna notice…"

The rabbit shook her head. "You need to stop being bad! What if you get into big trouble?"

Amy noticed the sudden high pitch in Cream's voice. She couldn't believe how serious her friend was about the situation. It made her laugh a little. "Oh my gosh…you need to relax. Live it up a little." She then sighed and turned her head back to the window. "All work and no play…"

After Amy looked back at the window, not a single word was spoken for the rest of the ride. The bus was now in Armdale. Amy looked at it with envy. The neighborhoods were spotless and the houses only seemed to get bigger as the bus advanced up the street. The pink hedgehog sighed. It was so beautiful, but she will never be able to live here. Not a day in her life.

Cream said, "Our stop is coming up."

Amy pulled the cord.

The Echidna's were away on vacation and their son was at school. Amy and Cream had the keys to their mansion. When Amy opened the door, her eyes widened in amazement. The whole place looked terrible. There was food crumbs scattered on the floor. The room also had balloons. Some balloons lay on the floor, others glided across the room. Party banners were hanging from the ceiling.

Amy said, "Looks like they had another party…"

Cream's foot landed on a puddle of soda. She held her leg up as she watched the fountain drink drip from her shoe. "Eww! Gross…"

The pink hedgehog sighed. They had to clean all of this up and they had to make sure they finish the job before the son comes home from school. "Come one Cream. This place isn't gonna clean itself."

The two maids made their way into the bathroom to get cleaning supplies.

Teamwork is always the best solution, so Amy and Cream decided to split up the work. The living room would get clean faster that way. Cream's job was to get rid of all the food. Amy's job was to pick all the balloons and the party decorations. In the end they will both help in mopping the floor.

An hour past and some of the trash has been cleaned up. Amy looks over at Cream. Her friend was busy sweeping the floor. Amy grabbed a balloon and walked near Cream, and she popped it near the rabbit's ear.

Cream shrieked. "Aah! What you do that for?"

Amy held in her laughter. "Sorry. Didn't see you."

Cream crossed her arms. "Liar! You did that on purpose!"

The pink hedgehog couldn't take it anymore and she started to laugh. "I got you good." She turned to walk away but she slipped on a puddle on the floor and fell.

Cream smiled triumphantly. "Karma."

Amy stood up and scoffed. "Karma? There's no such thing."

"Karma is real."

"If karma is real, then how come nothing bad happens to the Echidnas. They treat us like crap. 'Memba when they lowered our pay?"

"That's not karma. They got home before we finished."

"Not only that, but they give us too much to do. Look at this place." Cream scanned the room. Amy was right this was too much work to do for two common housemaids.

Cream started to sweep the floor. "Amy, we have to finish before that boy comes back from school."

Amy sighed and went back to work. It took four hours, but the living room was finally tidy. Amy picked up the last piece of garbage and threw it away. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, and sighed in relief. The torture was finally over. She felt like she just went through Armageddon.

Cream walked up to her and smiled. "See? All finished. Now we can get out of here."

School was finally out for the students who attend Mobius High. Shadow was supposed to practice for track today, but he just didn't feel like it. He was still thinking about yesterday, and how Rouge seemed so upset. He wanted to make it up to her, so he bought her a little present. He noticed the ivory bat walking home with a textbook in her hands and her bag slung on one shoulder.

He walked up to her and when she noticed his presence she gave the black hedgehog a weak smile.

"Hey, you want me to carry your book for you?"

She shook her head. "No it's okay. It's not really heavy…"

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Shadow was hoping Rouge would say something to start a conversation, but her lips didn't move at all. She just kept on walking. He decided to start one himself.

"Rouge, let me ask you something. Yesterday, when you asked what happened to me, what did you mean? I couldn't figure it out."

"I was just…" Rouge then started to look downwards, as if the answer to his question could be found on the sidewalk. "It meant nothing. Just forget about it."

Shadow frowned. He wasn't going to accept that excuse. "It meant nothing? It had to mean something, since you said it." His girlfriend still remained quiet. He was staring at her, but she was avoiding his gaze. "Rouge, just tell me. I promise I won't get upset."

"You've been acting so different lately." She looked over to him to see his reaction. Shadow kept calm and she continued. "I just wish things didn't have to change so much. We barely see each other anymore, and we never get to have fun like we used to."

"Hey." Shadow held onto Rouge's arm and she stopped walking. "I'm sorry about the fiasco that happened back at that party."

He pulled Rouge closer to him, and wrapped his arms around her. She blushed and hugged her textbook to her chest.

He smiled. "Am I forgiven?"

She smiled at him and nodded her head in approval. "You are forgiven, Shadow the Hedgehog."

He gave her a kiss. "I'm coming over your place tonight, and I have a surprise for you."

Rouge grew excited. "Ooh! A surprise. What time are you coming over?"

"Around midnight."

His girlfriend smirked. "Isn't that past your curfew?"

The track runner scoffed. "I don't have a curfew."

"Oh, so your dad doesn't tell you what to do." She gave him a peck on the cheek. "Shaddie makes his own rules." She giggled.

"Yeah I do. I make my own rules everywhere I go. When I come over tonight…" His voice softened and became seductive. "There are a couple of rules you need to follow."

His alluring voice made Rouge freeze. She gasped when his arms tightened around her body.

"Rules?" She laughed.

"Yeah."

"Shadow it's my house, so I'm the one who's calling the shots."

She turned to leave, but he kept his grip on her. Rouge looked at him confused.

Shadow asked, "Are you going to wear something sexy?"

She released herself from his arms and smiled mischievously. "You'll find out when you get there." She started to head home and Shadow went home in the opposite direction.

Shadow made it home and noticed his father's black Mercedes Benz in the driveway. He looked at the vehicle in confusion; because his dad was never home this early. He grabbed his keys from his pocket and went inside the house.

Shadow went into the dining room and noticed his father sitting at the dinner table. Doom looked tired, worn down. His arm was rested on the tabletop, and Shadow noticed a huge gash on his right arm. Blood traveled down his arm and he tried to stop the blood flow by using a towel and adding pressure but to no avail.

If any son saw his father in this condition he would flip out, but Shadow stayed calm. He was the son of a mob boss, so the track star was used to seeing his dad coming home a terrible wreck. One day he told Rouge about his father when they were talking about their parents.

_She looked at him flabbergasted. "Does he always come home like that?" She asked. "You're not afraid something bad will happen?"_

He never told Shadow how he gets injured and that was the only thing that bothered the black hedgehog.

"What happened?"

"Just had a little accident. Did you practice for the tournament today?"

"Yeah," Shadow lied. He took a seat across from his father. "What happened? Did somebody attack you…or…?" He didn't finish his sentence, because he was too busy studying his father's facial expressions and body movements.

Doom looked at his arm and completely ignored Shadow's question.

His son frowned. "Not going to tell me anything? You could at least go to the hospital."

Tikal appeared from the kitchen and smiled at Shadow. "Hello Shadow."

"Hey Tikal."

The echidna had a bottle of alcohol and a towel. She set them on the table and examined Doom's injury.

"I can't go to the hospital," Doom said. "Doctors are nosy they ask questions. Besides Tikal is- ahh!"

Tikal poured the alcohol on his wound and Doom gritted his teeth.

"Tikal is more than qualified…"

Shadow said, "…Right." He got up and headed to his room.

"Wait," Doom said. His son turned around. "I've been thinking…I admit that I push you a little too hard sometimes when it comes to your athletics."

_Push me a little too hard? You had me running around like a maniac for three hours, and when I trip you had the audacity to call me lazy! _

"No it's okay. You just want me to be the best."

"Yes that's true, but you're trying your hardest and I wanted to say that I'm proud of you."

Shadow smiled at his father, but this time it was a real, sincere smile. This was the first time ever that his father had actually recognized him for his accomplishments.

"Thank you."

Amy and Cream were headed home from a long day at work. Their maid uniforms were covered in filth from cleaning up the echidna's house. Amy examined her uniform and frowned. The girls just hopped off the bus and started walking home.

"Someone needs to teach those Mobians in Armdale how to be clean," Amy said. "Especially the Echidnas. They're supposed to have more class than us? Not with a dirty house like that they do."

"No more talking about cleaning, I just wanna lay down."

"I do too."

The girls made it to their house and Amy opened the door using her set of keys. Their house was nothing extravagant, it was run down and pretty old. But hey, at least they had a place to call home. Some Mobians in the Red District live in shacks. When the girls walked into their home, they smelled their dinner being cooked. Cream's mother, Vanilla, came walking in with a greeting smile.

"Hello girls, how was your day at work?"

"Terrible," Amy complained. "The Echidnas decided to throw another party. Took forever to clean that place. Vanilla, I hate being a maid. Can I work with you at the factory?"

Vanilla laughed. "Working at that factory is way more stressful than being a housemaid."

The pink hedgehog said, "Nothing could be worse than working for the Echidnas. Nothing."

"I can tell you that working at that factory is worse. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes." Vanilla walked off.

Cream said, "Okay mom."

"Aww man I ripped my dress."

Amy looked at her uniform and at the right side of it there was a nasty rip.

"Don't worry I have a sewing kit in our room."

Both of the girls walked to their room, and Cream tried to find her sewing kit. She checked her drawers and under her bed, no luck.

"I can't find it."

"Great, now what am I supposed to do."

"Maybe my mom has one."

They went inside Vanilla's room, and suddenly Amy felt a chill run down her back. Vanilla's room scared her for a brief moment. It just didn't seem right being in there. Cream's mother never specifically said that her room was off limits, but the pink hedgehog knew Vanilla wouldn't be fond of the two girls being in her room. Cream walked toward the closet.

"I'm pretty sure it's in here." She opened it and rummaged through everything. "Don't see it."

Amy noticed the top shelf. "Maybe it's up there."

"You're right. Give me a boost."

Amy hoisted Cream up to her shoulders; she was light as a feather. Cream started to look again.

"You see anything?" Amy asked.

"There's so much stuff here. Look at all these photo albums. Mom still kept this picture of me."

Amy was getting irritated; Cream was getting distracted. "Cream!"

"Okay sorry. Maybe it's in this box." Cream pulled out a huge box and landed it on the ground with a thud.

The young rabbit hopped off Amy and opened the box. "It might be in here." Cream gasped.

Amy turned around. "What is it?" Her jaw dropped.

The box didn't contain a sewing needle and thread, but it had dresses. Not those boring plain dresses that Amy and Cream wear for work. These dresses were elegant and had beautiful designs and patterns. Whoever made these dresses spent a good amount of time making them, and they looked like they were worth a fortune.

Amy bent down and took one of the dresses. She loved how the fabric felt between her fingers it was so soft. The young hedgehog was still at a loss for words.

"Cream…you've never told me that your mom had such beautiful dresses."

The confused rabbit picked up one of the dresses so she can examine for herself. "I never knew about this…"

"What's going on? I heard a loud bang."

Vanilla's voice echoed as she ran up to her room. She came rushing in and she saw the two girls holding the beautiful clothing that she kept in her closet. At first the mother had a look of concern and then she smiled.

"Oh…I see…you found my sister's clothes. Yes! Her clothes. She was such a good knitter."

Cream was in utter shock. "Aunt Cherry did this?"

"Why yes Cream you remember your Aunt." Vanilla laughed as she reminisced. "Always on that chair knitting."

"Yeah I remember her knitting, but…" Cream gazed down at the box of dresses.

"I was going to give you guys these clothes when you got older, but since you found my stash early." She laughed. "You can keep them."

Amy was overjoyed. "Really Vanilla? You're the best!" She hugged her and picked up the box. She dashed to her room. Cream was right behind her.

Amy threw the box on her bed, and started to pull the dresses out. She grabbed a white one and posed in the mirror. "We should go out."

"Where? Stardust?"

The pink hedgehog shuddered. She remembered Stardust; that place where teenagers in the District go to hang out. There was trash everywhere. The Mobians were rude, and the food sucked.

"Eww, I hate that place. We should go to The Teahouse."

"The Teahouse? But only the Mobians from Armdale are allowed in there."

Amy smirked. "But if we wear one of these dresses we can fool Mobians into thinking we are from Armdale."

"So you wanna pretend you're rich?"

"Right."

"But you were just whinin' about them, now you wanna be them. You're weird Amy."

"You're weird." She turned to Cream. "But seriously, wouldn't that be fun. Don't you wanna know what it's like on the other side?"

Cream pondered for a minute. "I do, but what if we get caught."

"Get caught? We're just having fun. Us pretending to be rich isn't gonna hurt anybody."

It was midnight and Armdale around this time is a ghost town. Everybody is sound asleep in his or her homes. The only sounds that can he heard is the sound of the nocturnal creatures of the night and also the footsteps of Shadow the Hedgehog. He promised Rouge that he would pay a visit later on. He walked up to her house and looked at her bedroom window.

Her light was still on. He threw a rock at her window. Did it again. Then Rouge opened her shades and smiled at Shadow. A few seconds later, she opened her front door.

She gave her boyfriend a kiss. "Took you long enough to show up."

"Your parents aren't home?"

"They're at some party."

He walked in. It was pretty dark inside.

"You can't turn on the light?"

"So my nosy neighbors, can look at the windows and tell my parents you were here while they were gone? Nope."

They headed to Rouge's room and Shadow was blinded by purple. Rouge had purple posters, purple bed sheets, and purple walls, purple everything. Shadow chuckled.

"I see you haven't gotten over your purple phase."

Rouge said, "What are you talking about? Purple is like the best color ever."

They both laughed. The white bat sat on her bed, and Shadow leaned down to kiss her. The two teens kissed each other, but the track star wanted more. He pushed his weight against Rouge so the two of them could fall on her bed. Rouge stopped him though by placing her hand on his chest.

Shadow broke the kiss and looked at her. "What?"

"What happened to my surprise?"

Shadow was horny and frustrated. "I can give it to you later."

"I want it now."

"What happened to you wearing something sexy?"

Rouge had on a silky purple nightgown. It was pretty but it wasn't sexy. Her whole entire body was covered, and Shadow was displeased with that.

"I said I might wear it. I didn't make any promises."

Rouge got up and walked to her vanity. Shadow sighed and sat on her bed. His girlfriend checked herself in the mirror. She pointed to her face.

"I have another pimple. It's so hideous."

The track runner sighed Rouge is always complaining about her looks. "Rouge, you're beautiful."

He really believed she was. She had a pretty figure, but she wasn't like the other girls in school who would just show everything. She kept everything covered, but still managed to look stunning.

Rouge blushed. "I didn't say my face was hideous." She suddenly glared at the mirror, and pointed to her acne. "This pimple is."

"It's barely noticeable."

"Yeah. Uh huh." Rouge was reaching for her acne lotion, but Shadow's words stopped her.

"Women. You're all so insecure."

"And you're not insecure?"

"What?"

"You've heard what I said." She reached for her facial products and started to rub her acne cleanser on her face. "Don't play dumb with me, Shadow."

"How am I insecure?"

Rouge chuckled a little. "Where should I start? You train constantly for that tournament. What happened at that party…"

His body stiffened and he remembered how everything went. All those eyes staring at him. Rouge pulling his arm. He embarrassed them both, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was wrap his hands around Knuckles neck.

"Why are you bringing that up again for? Didn't I apologize for my behavior?"

Rouge looked at her boyfriend in the mirror. "You did, but you apologize every time you guys argue. Look, I talked to Knuckles on the phone the other day and he admitted that the way he was acting was stupid. Yes Knuckles does act stupid sometimes."

"Well at least we both can agree on something." Rouge laughed and Shadow walked over to her.

Rouge and Knuckles have been friends since childhood. The bat wished for the day when her boyfriend and her best friend can have a conversation without arguing.

"I'll try my hardest not to quarrel with him, but I feel as though that echidna tempts me sometimes."

"Thank you, I'm not saying you guys have to be best buds, but I can't stand it when you two fight."

Rouge was about to say something but Shadow planted a kiss on her lips. When he parted from her he started nuzzling her neck.

His girlfriend's face grew red. "Shadow…where do you wanna go?"

"Your parents room." He gave her neck another kiss.

"We can't go there."

"Why not."

"Be-cause…" She giggled. His kisses started to tickle. "It doesn't seem weird to you?"

He decided to give her neck a break. "What do you mean?"

"Well it's nasty to think, but my parents are probably still having sex. They have sex on their bed, and we go in there and-…I just think it's nasty."

Shadow didn't see what the big deal was. "So? Your parents probably had sex on the couch, but that doesn't stop you from sit-."

"Alright, alright. We'll just do it on my bed."

Rouge walked over to her bed and laid down. Shadow went on top of her and started to unbutton her nightgown. Her chest was exposed and he started to kiss her all over.

The two wrestled for dominance on Rouge's bed. He was on top then she was. When Rouge let her guard down, he was able to take back control. The teens liked it rough while making love. The black hedgehog would bite on his girlfriend's nipples, and the white bat would claw Shadow's back. The marks would bother them a little after they were done, but for the moment they were enjoying it.

After Shadow was done with round three, he decided it was enough. He got off Rouge and laid beside her. Rouge was so exhausted she fell asleep. Shadow smirked. He was impressed with his work. Soon Rouge's parents were going to be home, and they weren't going to appreciate a male black hedgehog sleeping in her bed. He was headed home, but then he remembered. Rouge's present. He took a small blue box from his pant pocket. Inside of it was a diamond necklace shaped like a heart. He placed it beside Rouge, while she was sound asleep.

As Shadow was leaving the house he imagined how Rouge would react when she saw her gift. How her face will brighten up, and how excited she will get when she tries the jewelry on.

She'll ask out of politeness on how he got the money to pay for her present. She'll act like she's selfless but in reality she's overjoyed and she could care less how much money he spent on it. He'll lie and say he saved money for it, but he actually bought that necklace from his winnings in that card game with Knuckles.

Knuckles claimed Shadow to be a cheater, but he still paid him the money he lost. If he didn't it would make the echidna seem poor, and that's _the last image_ Knuckles would want to attract.


End file.
